1998 EARTH SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
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Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: |
Synopsis |
| 1998 EARTH SCIENCE RESOURCE TAPE | G98-064 | 12/31/98 | 00:49:00 | This resource tape contains highlights from NASA's Earth Science Program released in 1998. |
TAPE CONTENTS: |
| ITEM (1): HURRICANES OF 1998:
a) Hurricane Bonnie (GSFC) - Images of Hurricane Bonnie taken by the 1998 by the NOAA/National Weather Services Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-10) on August 25-26, 1998. The video was enhanced and rendered at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Laboratory for Atmospheres. Credit: Courtesy NASA/NOAA
b) Hurricane Bonnie (GSFC)- This is an image of Hurricane Bonnie as seen from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS), onboard the Sea Star spacecraft. The image was taken on August 27, 1998. Credit: Courtesy NASA
c) Hurricane Georges (GSFC) - This video sequence shows the path of Hurricane Georges when it moved through the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. The images were collected September 21-29, 1998, by the NOAA/National Weather Services Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-8. The video was enhanced and rendered at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Laboratory for Atmospheres.
Credit: Courtesy NASA/NOAA
d) Hurricane Mitch (GSFC) - A 3-D video sequence of Hurricane Mitch as it approached the Mexican coastline. The images were taken October 26-27, 1998, by the NOAA/National Weather Services' Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-8). The video was enhanced and rendered at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Laboratory for Atmospheres. An approximation of photo-realistic colors were made: the red is derived from the visible, the green from the enhanced visible, and the blue is the inverted 11 micrometer infrared channel. Credit: Courtesy NASA/NOAA
e) Georges Image (GSFC)- This is an image of Hurricane Georges as seen from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS), onboard the Sea Star spacecraft. The image was taken on September 24, 1998. Credit: Courtesy NASA
f) NASA's Aircraft Yield New Views of Hurricane Bonnie (MSFC) - Researchers flew into the heart of Atlantic Hurricanes this fall as part of the Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX). Learning more about the strength and direction of hurricanes is the focus of a NASA/NOAA study as the agencies teamed up for the first ever coordinated study of the eye of a hurricane. The footage was taken as the storm reached landfall on Wednesday, August 26, 1998. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
g) Model of Hurricane Luis (GSFC) - Animation of 3D hurricane model based on Hurricane Luis. The model allows scientists to study complex structures inside hurricanes. Scientists are developing interactive tools to help them better study the complex structures inside hurricanes.
Credit: Courtesy of NASA
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| ITEM (2): TROPICAL RAINFALL MEASURING MISSION (TRMM) CELEBRATES FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION:
a) Chimney Cloud in Hurricane Bonnie (GSFC) - Unexpected phenomena observed by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) spacecraft were the massive tall chimney clouds in Hurricane Bonnie. Researchers obtained compelling images of Hurricane Bonnie showing a (cumulonimbus) storm cloud, towering like a sky-scraper, 59,000 feet (18 kilometers) into the sky from the eyewall. This new view of "hot towers" in hurricanes could help forecasters predict hurricane intensity earlier, and identify those storms that will go "super nova." Images from 8/22/98. TRMM is a joint U.S.-Japanese mission.
Credit: Courtesy of NASA / NASDA
b) Hurricane Mitch "CAT Scan" (GSFC) - TRMM's spaceborne rain radar allowed scientists to create 3-D views of precipitation and height of the rain column inside some of this season's powerful hurricanes. Red color indicate rain rates in excess of 2 inches per hour. This TRMM animation sequence is of Hurricane Mitch as it approached the Gulf coast on 10/27/98. Credit: Courtesy of NASA / NASDA
c) Hurricane Georges "CAT Scan" (GSFC) - TRMM's spaceborne rain radar allowed scientists to create 3-D views of precipitation and height of the rain column inside some of this season's powerful hurricanes. Red color indicate rain rates in excess of 2 inches per hour. This TRMM animation sequence is of Hurricane Georges as it approached the Gulf coast on Sept. 23 1998. Credit: Courtesy of NASA / NASDA
d) Miracle Swath (GSFC) - TRMM was able to capture this dramatic view of four storms (remnants of tropical storm Howard, Hurricane Isis, Hurricane Earl, Hurricane Danielle) in a single pass on September 2, 1998. Credit: Courtesy of NASA / NASDA
e) A Budding La Nina (GSFC) - TRMM research team members successfully retrieved sea-surface temperature data from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The temperature data allows scientists to obtain sea-surface temperatures even in cloudy conditions. Scientists used the data to study the transition from El Nino to La Nina. Credit: Courtesy of NASA / NASDA
f) New Insights into Lightning (MSFC/GSFC) - TRMM's sensors provided direct observational evidence that faster and stronger convective updrafts over land contributed to the formation of "taller" continental storms with more lightning. Scientists have theorized that convection was different over land than over the ocean and this data distinctly showed the relative absence of lightning over the world's tropical oceans and that over 95% of all lightning occurred over land. Data included lightning events from April and May 1998. Credit: Courtesy of NASA / NASDA
g) Global Precipitation Map (GSFC)- More than two-thirds of all precipitation occurs in the tropical regions near the equator. Scientists used data from TRMM to generate rainfall maps that can help reduce uncertainties in the quantity of global rainfall by a factor of two. Scientists want to better understand rainfall patterns so they can improve global climate models. This map is from September, 1998. Credit: Courtesy of NASA / NASDA
h) TRMM Spacecraft Animation (GSFC) - The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is the first Earth Science mission dedicated to studying tropical and subtropical rainfall. Tropical rainfall, that which falls within 35 degrees north and 35 degrees south of the equator, comprises more than two-thirds of global rainfall. Credit: Courtesy of NASA / NASDA
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| ITEM (3): THE EVOLUTION OF THE 1997-98 EL NINO
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a) A Global El Nino (GSFC) - The 1997-98 El Nino was truly a global event. This sequence shows a superposition of sea surface temperature anomalies on anomalies of the sea surface elevation.
Data Sources: NASA/CNES TOPEX/Poseidon radar altimeter data, and NOAA NCEP SST analysis.
b) EL Nino In 3-D (GSFC) - The space-based perspective provided by satellite observations traced the evolution of El Nino (shown in red) from its beginning in early 1997 through its decline in early 1998. The onset of La Nina can be seen with the emergence of cooler than normal temperatures (shown in blue) along the equator. In late 1998, cooler than normal sea surface and subsurface water temperatures extended more than 6000 miles across the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
Data Sources: NASA/CNES TOPEX/Poseidon radar altimeter data, NOAA NCEP SST analysis, and DMSP SSM/I surface winds.
c) EL Nino Runs Deep (GSFC) - Scientists combined sea level data from satellites with ocean temperatures measured by the NOAA TAO Buoy Array to gain new clues into the evolution of El Nino. Colder than normal water temperatures at depth propagated east along the equatorial Pacific hastening El Nino's demise and giving rise to the cooler surface temperatures associated with La Nina during the spring of 1998. Warmer than normal temperatures are shown in red, cooler than normal are shown in blue.
Data Sources: NOAA TOGA TAO subsurface temperatures, NASA/CNES TOPEX/Poseidon radar altimeter data and NOAA NCEP SST analysis.
d) Studying A Coupled System (GSFC)- This segment depicts the coupled nature of key components of the ocean and atmosphere system during the life cycle of El Nino. Data representing sea surface height (3-D elevation), surface wind anomalies (black arrows) and sea surface temperature anomalies (colors) give new insights into the evolution of the complex El Nino event.
Data Sources: NASA/CNES TOPEX/Poseidon radar altimeter data, NOAA NCEP SST analysis, and DMSP SSM/I surface winds.
e) 1997-98 El Nino/La Nina: Observations from TOPEX/Poseidon (JPL) - Animation shows sea surface height anomalies in the Pacific from December 1996 through November 1998. The El Nino warm water pool is shown in red and white, while the apparent La Nina cold water pool is shown in blue and purple. Data Sources: NASA/CNES TOPEX/Poseidon radar altimeter data
f) TOPEX/Poseidon Satellite Animation (JPL) - This animation shows the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite measuring the sea surface height with its radar altimeter. The satellite is a joint US/French mission.
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| ITEM (4): FIRES OF 1998:
a) Smoke from Indonesia Fires (GSFC) - This sequence taken by NASA's Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) instrument on the SeaStar satellite shows the enormous smoke clouds produced by the El Nino-driven fires in Indonesia during October, 1997. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
b) Aerosols from Indonesia Fires (GSFC) - These are satellite observations of smoke and aerosols from the unusually severe fires in the Indonesian Archipelago during 1997 and 1998. The fires peaked in late September and early October, died down in December, and reappeared in March. The observations were taken by the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instruments on board NASA's Earth Probe (TOMS-EP) satellite. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
c) Smog Over the Atlantic (GSFC) - Tropospheric ozone from NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) in 1997 and 1998. Scientists have developed new techniques allowing them to track tropical ozone pollution from large fires. Scientists can now monitor "trans-boundary pollution" where emissions from fires can drift over countries many miles away. Ozone from African savanna fires ends up over the Atlantic, the Pacific and even Brazil. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
d) Smoke from Mexican Fires (GSFC) - A true color image showing smoke and clouds from Mexican fires. Images were taken by NASA's Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) instrument on June 5, 1998. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
e) Aerosols from Mexican Fires (GSFC) - The following animation show daily concentrations of smoke and aerosol particles emitted from fires in Mexico. The data were collected by NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) satellite May 3-26, 1998. Scientists have a keen interest in smoke aerosols generated by fires like those in Mexico, because smoke contributes to the overall global air-pollution levels that can impact the quality of air that humans breathe. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
f) Smoke from Florida Fires (GSFC) - This view of the fires in northern Florida was taken on June 17th, 1998 by the NASA's Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) instrument. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
g) Southern California Fires (GSFC) - This view of fires in southern California was taken on October 5, 1998 by NASA's Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) instrument. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
h) A Fiery Year In The Life Of Planet Earth (GSFC) -Scientists are developing techniques to monitor fires over the entire planet so they can better understand patterns of biomass burning. Data source: NOAA's Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument. Data collected 1992-1993. Credit: Courtesy of NASA/NOAA
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| ITEM (5): 1998 ANTARCTIC OZONE HOLE LARGEST EVER:
a) 1998 Antarctic "Ozone Hole" (GSFC) - NASA satellites show the size of the region of depleted Antarctic ozone (shown in blue) extended to a record 10.5 million square miles on Sept. 19, 1998. The previous record of ten million square miles was set in 1996. Regions with higher levels of ozone are shown in red. The Antarctic "ozone hole" develops each year between late August and early October.
Credit: Courtesy of NASA
b) Yearly Ozone Trends (GSFC) - NASA and NOAA instruments have been measuring the Antarctic ozone levels since the early 1970s. In the early 1980s large regions of depleted ozone began to develop. Though "ozone holes" of substantial size and depth are likely to continue to form during the next few years, scientists expect to see a reduction in ozone losses as levels of ozone destroying CFCs are gradually reduced. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
c) TOMS Satellite Animation (GSFC)- Animation of the NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS). Credit: Courtesy of NASA
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| ITEM (6): AIRBORNE LASER HELPS SCIENTISTS ASSESS EL NINO'S IMPACT:
a) 3-D Fly-over of the Pacifica, CA Region (GSFC/WFF) - Laser altimetry was used to determine the pre-El Nino characteristics of the narrow coastal zone that is most susceptible to erosion. Scientists compared data acquired in October 1997 with data acquired during the April 1998 flights to understand the effects of erosion of coastal cliffs.
Credit: Courtesy of NASA
b) Airborne Laser Mapping Animation (GSFC/WFF) - Animation illustrates how scientists use airborne lasers to map the unprecedented erosion caused by powerful storms associated with the El Nino. The rapid speed of data acquisition and very high data density makes an airborne scanning laser system ideal for pre and post storm assessment of coastal conditions. The study is a cooperative effort between NASA, USGS and NOAA.
Credit: Courtesy of NASA
c) Flying the Laser (GSFC/WFF) - Researchers use the powerful Airborne Topographic Mapper to provide a precise account of topographic changes due to storms.
Credit: Courtesy of NASA
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| ITEM (7): CHINA FLOODS:
a) Yangtzee River Floods (GSFC) - China's swollen Yangtzee river pours sediment hundreds of miles into the East China sea. The image was taken by NASA's Sea Viewing Wide Field Spectrometer (SeaWiFS) sensor on the SeaStar Satellite on August 4, 1998.
Credit: Courtesy of NASA
b) Songhua River Floods - (GSFC) - Flooding on China's Songhua River. The image was taken by NASA's Sea Viewing Wide Field Spectrometer (SeaWiFS) sensor on the SeaStar Satellite on August 20, 1998. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
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| ITEM (8): PULSE OF THE PLANET:
a) Pulse Of the Planet Animation (GSFC) - NASA scientists rendered an entire year of global SeaWiFS data into a series of animated sequences. The images highlight the life and death of Earth's plant life which seem to pulse with each change in the seasons. The red and yellow areas in the ocean represent regions with high concentrations of chlorophyll and, therefore, high numbers of microscopic green plants called phytoplankton. On land, heavily vegetated areas are dark green and areas with little or no vegetation are colored brown. Each sequence contains four seasonal averages -- Sept.-Nov. (Fall), Dec.-Feb. (Winter), Mar.- May (Spring) and June-Aug. (Summer).
Credit: Courtesy of NASA
b) Explosion in the Galapagos (GSFC) - SeaWiFS images document the rapid demise of El Nino in the waters around the Galapagos Islands. The images show an explosion in plankton growth as warm El Nino waters, blamed for choking off essential ocean nutrients, are replaced by deep cold upwelled waters. The false color images document plankton concentrations during a period from May 9-24 1998, and show that life in the region to the west archipelago returned in remarkable abundance. High concentrations of plankton are shown in red. Areas occluded by clouds are shown in white.
Credit: Courtesy of NASA
c) Rebound from EL Nino (GSFC) - SeaWiFS enabled scientists to witness the ocean transition from El Nino (first image) to La Nina (second image) in the Equatorial Pacific. The cooler upwelled nutrient-rich waters associated with the demise of El Nino also produced a huge plankton bloom along the equator. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
d) SeaWiFS Sensor Animation (GSFC) - Animation of NASA's Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) onboard the SeaStar Satellite.
Credit: Courtesy of NASA
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| ITEM (8): GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE:
a) Mother Nature's Air Conditioner (MSFC) - Researchers from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center are studying how urban forests could allow cities to continuously grow while maintaining air quality and the environment, as well as lowering cooling costs during sweltering summers. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
b) Fire Arctic Cloud Experiment (LARC) - An international team of scientists are in the Alaskan Arctic to learn more about global climate change through the study of arctic clouds and how they interact with the polar surface and atmosphere. The study will provide the opportunity to greatly expand our knowledge of the Arctic climate to determine the possible effects of potential global change, such as iceberg melting and coastline flooding. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
c) 1998 Sets Temperature Record (GSFC) - Global surface temperatures in 1998 set a new record for the period of instrumental measurements, reported searchers at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies who analyzed data collected from several thousand meteorological stations around the world. This visualization shows surface temperature anomalies from 1950 through November 1998. The 1998 warmth was associated partly with a strong El Nino that warmed the air over the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean in the first half of the year and in turn, affected weather around the world. Red and yellow colors indicate warmer than normal conditions and blue colors indicates cooler than normal conditions. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
d) U.S. Temperature Anomalies (GSFC) - The largest temperature anomalies in 1998 occurred in North America in a pattern that commonly occurs in El Nino years. This visualization shows surface temperature anomalies from 1950 through November 1998. Scientists used data from rural stations to correct for urban influences on reported temperatures. Red and yellow colors indicate warmer than normal conditions and blue indicates cooler than normal conditions. Credit: Courtesy of NASA
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